Maris Verginix
:"I'm staying with you. I won't be left behind. Not this time. Not ever!" :-Maris Maris Verginix (née Pallitax) was the daughter of Linius Pallitax, the wife of Quint, and the mother of Twig. Maris's Life Role in The Curse of the Gloamglozer Maris grew up in Sanctaphrax with her father, Linius Pallitax, the Most High Academe of Santaphrax; Tweezel, a loyal Spindlebug butler; Welma, a Woodtroll nurse; and her pet Lemkin, Digit. When Quint arrived at their home in the Palace of Shadows and became Linius's apprentice, Maris originally resented him for taking her father's attention, but eventually they became friends and emarked on their first of many adventures together. When Quint waited by the sky-cage for the return of Linius after he had adventured into the heart of the Sanctaphrax rock, he saw that he had returned in a bad way. To discover what could be lurking in the catacombes of the great rock he followed Linius on his next jouney through the stonecomb. Quint was chased out by the Blood-Red Glister created by the First Scholars. Maris, having become more and more concerned for her fathers well-being, convinced Quint to let her travel with him into the centre of the rock. Once they had embarked upon this adventure they found themselves face to face with the very same creature Quint had previously been chased by. The Blood-Red Glister attacked them, but they were saved by the kindly Bungus Septrill, an earth-scholar who was the High Librarian of the Great Library of Sanctaphrax. On their way back up to Santaphrax Quint slipped away, deciding to uncover the secrets of the Ancient Laboratory. Bungus and Maris returned to the stonecomb in an attempt to stop Quint from releasing the feared and dreaded Gloamglozer that Linius had created there, but were ambushed by the glister again. Bungus sacrificed his own life, trapping the monstrous glister forever and allowing Maris to catch up with Quint. She revived him after his ordeal with the Gloamglozer and the two of them returned to Sanctaphrax. "When I leave Santaphrax you will come with me," Quint said, "You can stand beside me at the helm of a great sky ship and together we shall sail to the furthest corners of the sky." Maris nodded, "And perhaps," she said dreamily, "Even further than that." 'Role in ''The Winter Knights' After her father's death, at the start of ''The Winter Knights she went into the care of Heft and Dacia Vespius in Undertown, while Quint attended the Knights Academy in Sanctaphrax. They proved to be cruel and unloving guardians who kept her locked in her room, she never saw so much as a penny of the money her father had left her. Up on the floating rock the scheming Vilnix Pompolnius forges letters to her addressed from Quint, faking Quint's friendship with him and accusing Maris of not being a good friend to him- the pretend Quint. Taking advantage of her need to win back Quints friendship, Vilnix asks her for money which he uses to pay for a poison to kill Hax Vostillix, the Hall Master of High Cloud, who suposedly betrayed Vilnix and took over the Knights Academy, dismissing the profound and respected hall masters, Philius Embertine, Fenviel Vendix and Arboretum Sicklebough. Vilnix also sets a trap for Maris and Quint at the Loftus Observatory where he expects them to fall to their deaths. As she dangled precariously over the edge, she screamed, " Save yourself Quint!" They were saved by Raffix Emilius, Phin, and Stope, who sailed the Cloudslayer by the Loftus Observatory. Maris, Quint and their friends flew into open sky and managed to avert the terrible winter sickening the edge by healing a sick Cloudeater. When they got back, they found the remains of the terible battle of the Knights Academy, and discovered that Vilnix had been expelled from the Academy for insubordination and had taken a place in the College of Rain instead. Quint was due to return to the reformed Knights Academy and Maris to return to Santaphrax by order of the Professors of Light and Darkness, however Wind Jackal swooped in at the last moment whisking them off on an adventure to find the evil Turbot Smeal. Role in The Clash of the Sky Galleons Maris, Quint, Wind Jackal and the crew of the Galerider go in search of the devious and trecherous quatermaster Turbot Smeal out in the Cliff Quarries. Their quest continues to catapult them around the edge, to the Tarry Vine Tavern, where she and Quint meet Wind Jackal's old friend, the charming Thaw Daggerslash. The sky ship yards, where Thaw finds himself a small sky ship and crew of one, the Banderbear Hubble. And upon receiving a Message of No Return, telling the obbsessed and tormened captain that he would find his former Quartermaster in the Sluice Tower, everyone except Maris and Tem Barkwater venture to the haunting tower with the Waif Menisculis. However they inevitably run in to danger with a waif assassin who is murdered by Menisculis before they are hit by a vast torrent of edge water. Luckily Maris - who felt hurt and left out, pays the sky ferry pilot Duggin to take her and Tem to the tower where they save the crew aboard Duggin's ship, the Edgehopper. However Maris is not thanked for this heroic act and is instead scolded by Quint and the captain for diobeying their orders. Maris feels hurt by this despite knowing that Quint was concerned for her safety. She is, hovever, quick to forgive him as their fate suddenly rests in each others' hands when the Galerider is hit by a storm and they are plunged into the heart of the Deepwoods. They battle to survive and to find an Ironwood tree to set alight and signal to the sky ship so they can be rescued. When they finally find one and set it alight, they are in trouble again as Quint is trapped up on the top of the blazing ironwood pine and Maris bravely chooses not to leave him. Eventually the Galerider spots them, alive although not in the best shape, and sets sail to the Great Shryke Slave Market. The meet a starved and distressed Hubble whom the suspicious and changed Thaw Daggerslash explains his injuries as the fault of Turbot Smeal. Without question Wind Jackal recruits Thaw and Hubble and they all travel to a Woodtroll village where Wind Jackal makes a deal with the woodtrolls and together they hunt a vicious Bloodoak to supply the leagues back in Undertown. Events reach an almighty peak for Maris and the crew though, when Thaw and the Captain venture onto the sky ship wreck where Smeal is rumored to be hiding and Thaw returns alone, saying that Smeal murdered Wind Jackal and that he was successful in carrying out the Captain's wishes by killing Smeal. Maris comforts Quint at the loss of his father but Thaw is not so, suggesting that he himself should become the next captain. Of course there is uproar but Spillins the Oakelf decides the fairest way would be to hold a Shryke tooth voting within the crew to decide between Quint and Thaw. The vote is equal up untill it is Maris's turn. Thaw's charm had an impact on her but she loyally chose Quint, her dearest friend. Quint took his place at the helm as captain as Thaw moodily fled the ship returning to battle Quint again at Wilderness Lair in an fight against the mighty leauges of Undertown. During the battle a figure appears on the Galerider. Quint concludes it is Turbot Smeal engaging in a man to man - to avenge his father, in which Smeal is unmasked as the devious Thaw Daggerslash. All the while Maris sits by the sidelines spurring Quint on. At the end of the novel Quint and Maris return to Sanctaphrax where they find themselves back at the Knights' Academy where they engage in a long kiss. Role in The Slaughterers Quest Before this story began, Maris - after the loss of her son Twig in the Deepwoods, had not spoken a word since that fateful voyage when she left her son to a family of Woodtrolls and had taken ill in her bed for many moons. After the disapearance of Quint, she wandered the neverending Deepwoods collecting any waifs or strays she may find an taking them into her care like she hoped would have been done for her son. Maris's granddaughter, Keris, eventually came to the Free Glades. Keris found her grandmother in a Caterbird cocoon on Lullabee Island. For the first time since she had lost her son, Maris spoke, saying that Keris would one day see her father again. Category:Characters Category:Fourthlings